Richard Burns Rally 3D!

Normally i wouldn't advertise such foolish purchases, but I've gone ahead and "invested" in some new hardware which has since brought some interesting results to my attention in particular the fact that it can play RBR2010 rather well.

For those looking to add a new dimension to their RBR2010 experience, i would have no hesitation in recommending the Asus-VG236H as a very good option. It's basically a bundled monitor package including Asus's recently released 23" VG236H, 120khz 3D ready monitor and Nvidia's 3D Vision kit 1xGlasses, the glass kit on it's own is worth around $210-$220 (AUS).

After checking out the competition to the VG236H, i came to the conclusion that the Asus monitor is a first release of the 2nd generation for monitors of this type (120khz minimum req'd for 3D), see Nvidia's system requirements for other known models: http://www.nvidia.com/object/3d-vision-requirements.html

For some time now i have been holding off on getting into the Nvidia 3D vision buzz, due to lack of funds being the main reason. However the Asus bundled pkg came within my budget range so i thought what the hell, so based on a few reviews and a couple you tube video's i recently took the plunge and was setup a week later.

To check the full potential of the monitor and Nvidia 3d vision system i loaded up "Batman Arkham Asylum" (Nvidia Ready 3D Game), first impressions.. well lets just say any worries of the money i spent vanished in an instant! WOW! if there was ever a moment where your perspective on gaming would change forever that would be it! SIMPLY JAW Dropping stuff from a gamers POV, It may be early to call, but the future looks bright for 3D PC gaming for the masses.

What amazes me most, is that this space age 3D technology by Nvidia is compatible with the respectfully aging RBR(2010) first released late 2003 from memory, i have tried unsuccessfully before to get RBR to run in stereoscopic 3D with other 3D system's eg: old gen asus 3d and E-Dimensional both are a no go, real bad driver support or none at all. So it was finger's crossed when i went ahead with the new gear, but to my relief i can confirm with confidence that RBR is indeed compatible..phew!

My thought's..

Pro's:
Full HD 23"(standard size at the moment), good build quality for bth Asus/Nvidia hardware, Nvidia driver support, 3d screen adjustment options, easy to setup, supports most new & old titles, can be used to view 1080p-3D Blu Ray content (Bluray plyr Req'd), Max brightness 400Cd/m2 (very important for 3D), 2ms response time and most importantly it works with RBR2010.

Cons:
Slight brightness reduction in 3D mode, not all games are "fully" compatible, only "3D Vision ready games" will utilize "all" the 3D eye candy available. Most other games can still produce a 3D effect just not on par with the 3D Vision Ready titles.
No 3D viewing presets, manual adjustment only, eye strain will occur if you have setup 3d vision incorrectly.

The nature of shutter glass 3d gaming means you will take a "brightness" hit, however you can make in game adjustments to compensate for this, affect's mainly older titles from what i have seen so far. RBR brightness levels are pretty good in general but hoping it can be improved somewhere?
I'm still in the process of testing all stages of RBR, so far i have tried France and England and can report on the whole very good 3D results, quite surprising for me given the whole lot works without a hitch, i was expecting the worst (there's no mention of RBR on Nvidia's compatible list).

At a quick glance in 3D cockpit view the first thing which stands out for me is everything inside has body and form meaning i can see a clear distinction between the steering wheel and the dashboard because of the increased depth of field that 3D provides, when all the correct 3D adjustments are made RBR becomes a complete IMMERSION simulator, simply AWESOME!

What i like so far is my ability to judge distances has improved somewhat, i can now clearly judge with confidence how far my front bumper and bonnet are from a tree, rockwall or hairpin inside camber while driving at speed. Increasing the depth of view with the Nvidia gear really makes you feel like your really inside the car, when i'm looking through the front windshield it sort kind of looks like im looking through real glass, scuff marks and all.. Amazing! also the roll cage is right there in front of your face and also very obvious is the bonnet scoop of the Subaru's really stick-out, very cool.
Another thing to is that road surface details really stand out eg: driving line, gradient changes and general road condition, overall i feel like i have a lot more confidence to push the car a bit harder, nice

In summary, i found no issues with RBR & Nvidia 3D Vision other than a slight bit of 3D-ghosting once in a while but nothing to concern most, i can say my experience with RBR in 3D has been an enjoyable one to say the least, and one i would recommend to others, if only to experience the technology with the newer titles, i cannot repeat this enough GAMELIFE CHANGING!!!!! you will not want to go bk to 2D ever. Forget Avatar 3D movie quality.. this hardware will provide you with crisp, sharp and adjustable 3D gaming and viewing.

What sold me, was his confirmation that there was no "flickering" present at any time the glasses and monitor combo were being tested, "flickering" is what causes eye strain and from prev exp ruins the 3D effect, like the reviewer i can confirm 3D gaming on this monitor is liquid and thank god for that HDR plugin to, without it RBR showed it's age, very dull in 3D.
So if you're wondering what to buy yourself for xmas, put this near the top of you're shopping list, simply one of the best 3D experience's i've had so far.

I would be interested to hear comments from anyone else who is also playing RBR in 3D?

Premium Member

Thanks for the well explained report Eddie, the thought of you being even faster now is scary to us mortals though. :eek:

One very basic (and maybe dumb) question. I wear prescription glasses now when driving (poor eyesight :frown: ), so does that mean that wearing the 3D glasses will give me poor overall vision when driving?

Thanks for the well explained report Eddie, the thought of you being even faster now is scary to us mortals though. :eek:

One very basic (and maybe dumb) question. I wear prescription glasses now when driving (poor eyesight :frown: ), so does that mean that wearing the 3D glasses will give me poor overall vision when driving?

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According to the instruction book that came with the glasses, you should be fine wearing the 3d glasses over your prescription ones, on me they feel quite comfortable not tight at all, they should do the job.
I must add though, if your new to 3D gaming and have sensitive eyes it's recommended you take a gradual approach, basically training your eye to get used to the initial 3D effects and over time incrementally increasing the depth of field, this will be a personal preference thing.
If your curious about the 3D thing, when your at the mall next ask a TV salesman to let you try a pair of "Shutter Glasses" not the older type RED/BLUE ones, and see what you think? hopefully they have a dark room for you to test.

Wow, RBR in 3D, that will be cool. I run RBR through a big screen TV, I wonder how that will go If i upgrade to a 3D tv. Any thought for a seriously tech-dumb driver?

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As there is no set industry standard for Stereoscopic 3D hardware amongst the major brands eg: Panasonic, Sony, Samsung etc.. each has integrated proprietary 3D technology into their own products.
Therefore any manufacturer who has a 3D-HDTV in market will offer thier own version of (Stereoscopic) LCD Shutter Glasses normally bundled with every 3D-HDTV they sell.

Presuming your using a Nvidia geforce card and if your hoping to play all your favourite PC games in "3D" using the in built 3D hardware on your new 3D-HDTV, you might want to re-consider? Nvidia has apparently got this covered.
It seems Nvidia have built in lock-down features in their driver's for unsupported brands.
Not surprising given that manufactures are offering a product which rivals Nvidia's 3D Vision.
So regardless if you connect your PC via D-sub/DVI or HDMI(1.4a) to your new 3D-HDTV it looks like, 3D-PC gaming is a no go for unsupported brands, and the 3D-HDTV's that are supported are not widely available eg: DLP tv's, if you live in the U.S your the lucky ones.

However, there's good new's on the horizon if you still want to game in 3D using Nvidia Graphic cards on your 3D-HDTV, Nvidia's is offering a bit of software available soon for download called "3D TV PLAY" with the aim of getting the support from the main players which will allow owners to use the 3D Glasses that came with your 3D-HDTV. Playing your favourite PC games in 3D should no longer be an issue after the driver update, rumours are Pannasonic could be a supported partner, will wait and see.

If you can't wait for Nvidia to finish wheeling & dealing with the big boy's, the 120hz monitor market could be for you, i expect more model's to be released in the near future in the hope of driving down cost and more options on screen size.

From what I've seen so far Nvidia is calling the shots in the PC-3D market for all related media, working with industry leaders and software developers etc to get their tech optimized for Nvidia's product line. Hence why i don't use ATI..sorry Raedon now.

If you are a ATI card owner a 3D driver solution is currently in the works to be compatible with the 120hz monitor line this is in partnership with iZ3D, no release date set?

Yeah, i realize this won't suit everyone's taste or budget, and for some the thought of joining the "Nvidia" camp could be compared to having your eye's gouged out with a rusty nail.umpkin:

For me personally, justifying such an expense was hard but one i don't regret, the price of admission into the 3D market will come at a premium right now and compared to the alternatives eg: 120hz monitor range & 3D-HDTV's($2k+) this was a relatively affordable option for me anyway. And for those who have yet to experience "Stereoscopic 3D" a good entry point IMHO.

The intention here was to offer my 2 cents on the best bang for buck at the moment for those interested.

My main motivation from the beginning was simply to add-to an already superb driving simulator in RBR. 90% of the time i play RBR & GTR2 both of these titles offer all i need to satisfy my driving needs, from what iv'e seen to date the future of rally games will most likely continue to move away from the simulator type physics and cater more for the average gamer, i hope i'm wrong on this, but "WRC the Game" dosen't give me much hope.

This whole experience for me was an expensive gamble right from the start, Nvidia don't claim 3D support for RBR and any reference of 3D tech being tested with RBR on the net.. virtually non-existent!!
So based on price and no comparative, the sensible thing would be to put my wallet bk you would think?

Alas curiosity should have killed the cat in my case, however the 3D kit has not only delivered on all my expectations in regards to RBR, it's added the X Factor that i always felt this game was missing.
Without sounding to dramatic, this was like finding the holy grail, in someway it's kind of future proofed the game, at least for another 5yrs? imo.:eek:

Acer H5360 /V700 projector is 720p +native 1440x900. Supports both Geforce 3Dvision and 3D-DPL-LINK for Ati cards. I have been installing the projector and anamorphic lens for it. Now the picture is 305x135cm. FOV in Camhack 1.44 and 0.9. I have't tested the 3D yet, because my shutter glasses didn't arrive yet, but the projector and the lens are briliant! The video flickers because me 640x480 miniDV camera does not compute with the colourwheel of the projector. The G25 wheel is 3 meters away from the picture.

Blog 18.05.2011: Didn't want to wait until july to get the 3D-DLP-LINK glasses from Acer, so canceled the deal and started to save for GeForce GTX550 card and 3D VISION-kit. Also the projector option for the LINK glasses effects the picture, because the sync is taken from white segment of the color wheel. The projector "overdrives" the brightness some how and the colors suffer. So i will say good bye for Ati, that i have always used. The GeForce kit includes infrared transmitter for the sync, so the projected picture doesn't take a hit. More info when this happens.

Blog 26.5.2011: Upcoming card is in the post and it is Palit Geforce GTX460 1Gb 256bit. It also provides support for 3D vision surround when two cards are installed on same motherboard (SLi system on Nvidia cards, similar then Ati's Crossfire). Then one could install 3 screens/projectors and have them all in 3D... one might start consider to sell his real car away... X) The card offers excellent overclocking features and a low budget price.

Still thinking of setting some of your hard earned $$ on fire?
'Inside Sim Racing' were recently invited to visit Nvidia's HQ to see 3D vision at work, they discuss the pros' & con's and give their thoughts.